Anthem RC Comeback Falls Short Against NOLA Gold, Lose 19-33

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 5, 2025) – A four-try first half from NOLA Gold made the lead too big to climb for Anthem RC, losing 19-33. Toby Fricker, Joe Apikotoa, and Colin Turner found the try zone for Anthem.

After the two teams took the first ten minutes to feel each other out, NOLA Gold drew first blood with a try from JP Du Plessis between the posts.

Like they’ve done so often this season, Anthem RC responded quickly. The home side recovered their restart kick and Fricker ran in his first try in Anthem blue to make the score 5-7.

The middle portion of the first half was dominated by NOLA, finding the try zone three times. The last of the three was the biggest highlight as the visitors showed off strong running, breaking multiple tackles and Du Plessis’ no-look pass found Luke Campbell for the score, making it 5-26.

Anthem RC scored a crucial try on the last play of the first half, looking to carry momentum into the second half. Apikotoa’s strong push into the try zone followed by Mitch Wilson’s kick made it a two-score game as both teams headed to the locker rooms.

Both teams played strong defensively for the first 20 minutes of the second half, something NOLA preferred holding a 14-point lead.

In the 58th minute, NOLA received a yellow card, giving Anthem a serious opportunity up a man. They quickly converted.

The rookie Turner scored his first try of the season and Wilson’s kick soared through the uprights, suddenly making it anyone’s game with 20 minutes to play.

Turnovers and sloppy play really cost the home side, as numerous attacking possessions were stopped by Anthem’s own doing.

The dagger came in the 74th minute as NOLA’s Ale Lopeti scored the team’s first try in the second half and the ensuing kick finished the game off with the visitors winning 33-19.

QUOTES:

Coach Alama Ieremia on attempting to come back:

“We’re chasing the game, but the tempo at that stage was a little bit too slow for us, and they did really well to control that.”

Ieremia on the sloppy nature of the game:

“That was it. Too many turnovers and not looking after the ball. We lost it way too many times in collisions and we couldn’t build any pressure.”

Joe Apikotoa on the team’s performance:

“Really disappointing that we couldn’t get the result. We’re just not executing in that final quarter when we need to. We’ll go back, look at the footage, and come back next weeks and put ourselves in a position to win a game.”

Sam Golla on the difference tonight from recent games:

“The weather is starting to change here in Charlotte and humidity was kicking in. We were really excited for this game and we didn’t come out the way we wanted to and we built on our errors.”